The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Trees are an increasingly important part of the urban infrastructure. However, a lack a awareness about how to plant and nurture large trees in urban environments dooms many trees to lackluster performance and a short life.

January 4 - The Globe and Mail

After a flawed parking study on Manhattan's core last fall, the NYC Department of City Planning have released a revised version that calls for an end to parking minimums, especially those linked to affordable housing.

January 4 - Streetsblog New York City

The formula for Detroit's current status is complicated -- a mix of local, regional and national socioeconomic forces. But while many hands have shaped the good and bad of today's Detroit, the impact of current federal policy is easy to spot.

January 4 - City Limits

Nearly everyone agrees that government needs to regulate. How much to regulate is the question. Reason Magazine looks at several current regulatory issues concludes that the regulatory pendulum "has swung too far."

January 4 - Reason Magazine

The California State Supreme Court recently upheld the eradication of the state's roughly 400 redevelopment agencies, and now officials from those groups are trying to convince legislators to give back some of their spending powers.

January 4 - Los Angeles Times

It's been over 12 years since Houston last planned for denser development patterns, but an updated code is on the way to lure an ever growing population away from the suburbs.

January 4 - Houston Chronicle

As crop prices rise, Iowa land formerly thought useless for farming is being tilled and planted.

January 4 - The New York Times

<em>The New York Times</em>' architecture critic, Michael Kimmelman, reviews a new exhibition exploring the history of the city's grid and streets.

January 4 - The New York Times

The idea of a federal infrastructure bank has been developing for years, and some say it may be the best way to ensure the country is able to build and repair its necessary infrastructure. But a review of state-level banks shows room for improvement.

January 4 - The Atlantic Cities

Projects across the country seek to definitively identify the names of city neighborhoods -- a process that's both difficult and important to local pride, according to those behind these efforts.

January 3 - The Atlantic Cities

On South Florida's radar: three "Las Vegas-style casino resorts," the prospect of which has already begun impacting nearby development. Fred A. Bernstein reports.

January 3 - The New York Times

There's no budget for anything over-the-top, but it is an opportunity to bring in drought-resistant landscaping. The Department of Recreation and Parks is evaluating ideas.

January 3 - Los Angeles Times

A team of Brookings Institution researchers present five key findings about Americans and how the country grew in 2011 according to 2010 Census data.

January 3 - Brookings Institution

A real estate industry insider website publishes it's annual report of the real 100 most influential people in real estate and who will "help real estate recover in 2012."

January 3 - Inman News

Tens of billions of dollars are to be side aside for a plan to protect against flooding of the San Joaquin River basin. Cities wonder if this "broad road map" is enough to protect those truly at risk, and, of course, who pays for it.

January 3 - Stockton Record

San Francisco's planning and permitting process has become so complicated and expensive that former advocates of preservation are now fighting back against the city's historic preservation efforts.

January 3 - The New York Times

Walmart stores -- once vilified by cities for their impact on local smaller retailers -- are now getting the red carpet treatment from some urban cities. Walmart has adapted its store design, and cities need the tax revenue from large retailers.

January 3 - Shopping Centers Today

Gabriel Roth, a civil engineer, transportation economist and research fellow is fed up with the federal government's inability to fully fund transportation and suggests that its time to hand off responsibility to the states.

January 3 - Winona Daily News

To the ire of environmental critics, the Chinese State Council has moved some bureaucratic roadblocks to likely enable the building of a $3.8 billion dam.

January 3 - The New York Times

Curbed offers it's eclectic selection of the "best, worst, and ...showiest of things that happened in Los Angeles real estate, architecture, and neighborhoods this year."

January 2 - Curbed Los Angeles